Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Officers, Defence and Veterans' Service Commission

About the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission

The Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission (DVSC) provides independent oversight and evidence-based advice to government to drive system-wide reforms to improve suicide prevention and wellbeing outcomes for serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) members.

The Australian Government established the DVSC as a new Non-corporate Commonwealth Entity (NCE) on 29 September 2025 in response to the key recommendation of the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

Key functions of the DVSC include:

• monitoring, inquiring and reporting on issues relevant to suicide and suicidality for serving and ex-serving ADF members
• monitoring, inquiring and reporting on the implementation of the Government’s response to the recommendations of the Defence and Veteran Suicide Royal Commission
• improving supports for serving and ex-serving ADF members
• working with coroners to understand issues contributing to Defence and veteran deaths by suicide, and
• promoting an understanding of suicide risks and wellbeing for Defence members and veterans, including through engaging with people with lived experience.

Working at the DVSC

The DVSC is committed to fostering a trauma-informed and people-centred culture that supports independent oversight, accountability and meaningful action to support our goals. As a new agency, we are looking to recruit high performing and dedicated staff with a range of capabilities, who demonstrate courage, compassion, curiosity, influence and integrity (our values).

A key focus of the DVSC’s work is the prevention of suicide and suicidality. While the DVSC has a proactive wellbeing program, applicants are encouraged to consider their personal circumstances when applying for this role. Applicants can familiarise themselves with the findings and recommendations of the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide for further information.

The DVSC is an independent agency based in Canberra. Currently staff are employed by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and seconded to the DVSC. While we transition our employment framework, the successful candidate will be on-boarded via the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and subsequently transitioned to the DVSC.

Employment with the DVSC is offered under the Public Service (Terms and Conditions of Employment) (Defence and Veterans’ Services Commission) Determination 2025.

About the Roles

The DVSC is establishing a merit pool to fill current and anticipated Communications and Engagement Officer vacancies to deliver the DVSC’s communications and stakeholder engagement function.

We are recruiting for vacancies across two streams in the Oversight and Engagement Branch: communications and media, and stakeholder engagement.

Senior Communications Officer

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Communications and Media, the Senior Communications Officer will operate under direction to deliver work across a wide range of communication activities and projects. This may include:

• Leading the creation of high quality, accessible content including media releases, talking points, website content, social media posts, subscriber emails, newsletters, fact sheets and speeches.
• Identifying and delivering proactive storytelling opportunities to build engagement across channels.
• Monitoring media coverage and emerging issues and contributing to media responses.
• Developing communication plans and contributing to communication strategies.
• Consulting and collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders to plan, produce and evaluate content.
• Leading our web publishing, including maintaining content effectively and in a timely manner.
• Undertake other duties in the Communications and Engagement team, as required.

Senior Stakeholder Engagement Officer

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Stakeholder Engagement, the Senior Engagement Officer will operate under direction to:

• Lead the development and delivery of stakeholder engagement activities to support the Commissioner’s statutory functions,
• Undertake policy research, prepare briefings, reports and products to inform the Commissioner’s communication and engagement functions and activities.
• Support secretariat duties for advisory forums and events.
• Arrange, participate in and support internal and external meetings, committees and advisory groups, including maintaining professional relationships with key stakeholders.
• Engage on the work of the DVSC in a meaningful, trustworthy, and trauma informed way with Defence members, veterans and their families, ex-service organisations, and non-government and government organisations through both face-to-face and digital channels.
• Undertake other duties in the Communications and Engagement team, as required.

Our ideal candidate 

General criteria – all roles

We are seeking motivated and professional officers who demonstrate integrity, independence and compassion while delivering the work of the Commission and:

• A high degree of adaptability, with the ability and willingness to work collaboratively within a small agency, and with external stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal and engagement skills, with a demonstrated ability to adjust styles to respond to different audiences and subject matter in a trauma informed manner.
• Exceptional skill and demonstrated experience in formulating written and verbal communication to a range of audiences.
• Sound judgement, discretion and resilience when representing the DVSC and engaging with a broad range of stakeholders and individuals in sometimes challenging circumstances.
• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and experience in managing competing priorities and meeting deadlines, in a fast-paced and varied environment.
• Maintain awareness of the longer-term strategic and operational outcomes for the DVSC and possible impacts to our work.
• Capability to appropriately engage with, and communicate content around, Defence and veteran suicide and suicidal distress.

Role-specific criteria

Senior Communications Officer

• Demonstrated high-quality written, verbal and visual communication skills in a media and communications context.
• Proven ability to translate complex policy or technical information into clear, accessible language tailored to audience needs across different channels.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Australian media landscape.

Senior Stakeholder Engagement Officer

• Demonstrated, well-developed analytical skills, including turning user/stakeholder data into meaningful insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and experience including the ability to prepare high-quality briefings, reports, correspondence, agenda papers, and communication products tailored to audience needs.

Qualifications/Experience 

The following is required:

Relevant tertiary qualifications, and/or equivalent professional experience (3+ years) in areas such as communications, media, marketing, public relations and stakeholder engagement.

The following are highly regarded:

• An understanding of suicide and suicidality, particularly among serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members.
• Experience working with people with lived experience of suicide or suicidality, or other significant life events or experiences, to bring insight and understanding to agency work.
• Experience with content management and digital publishing tools.
• Media production and design experience.
• An understanding of trauma-informed communication and engagement principles.
• Experience delivering surveys and submissions processes, including qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
• Experience in providing secretariat services and policy support to committees or forums and arranging engagement opportunities.

• Under section 22(8) of the Public Service Act 1999, employees must be Australian citizens to be employed in the APS unless the Agency Head has agreed otherwise, in writing. At PM&C to be eligible for this position you should be an Australian Citizen by the completion of the recruitment process, except under exceptional circumstances.
• The successful candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance, or hold a current security clearance of an appropriate level.
• The successful candidate will be assessed through our pre-employment screening checks, such as an Australian Criminal History Check, and will normally be subject to a six-month probation period if new to the APS or has not yet completed their probation period elsewhere in the APS.

Ongoing & Non-ongoing (for a period of up to 24 months)

This role is being advertised as both ongoing and non-ongoing, with the employment type to be determined in negotiation with the preferred candidate and the PM&C delegate.

Where a non-ongoing specified term is offered, this would be for a maximum period of two (2) years. If the initial contract is for less than 2 years, it may be extended or renewed once, up to the 2 year limit.

A non-ongoing offer may result in conversion to an ongoing offer of employment, however this must occur within 18 months from the opening date of this advertisement.

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) advances Australia’s national interests through high quality support to the Prime Minister and the operations of Cabinet. PM&C supports the Prime Minister as leader of the Government and of Cabinet and as leader of the country. This positions us both to provide visibility of Government priorities and influence outcomes across all Commonwealth portfolios, state jurisdictions, the Australian Public Service (APS) as an institution, and on the international stage. Our role is to provide fresh thinking and creative advice to government as stewards for the APS. We contribute ideas on the many and varied issues facing Australia, taking into consideration the views and opinions of a range of stakeholders across the private, public, not-for-profit and community sectors. The PM&C team provides pragmatic advice and finds solutions to problems so that Government policies can be effectively designed and implemented. We give particular weight to issues that are important to the Prime Minister. Our focus, put in its simplest terms, is to find new ways to improve the lives of all Australians.